Recycle Your Contacts!

There are so many benefits of daily contact lenses, but how do you properly dispose of them?

Are you an environmentalist like us? Midtown Optometry loves nature and wants to do it’s part to preserve our special ecosystem. We want you to stand with us and help us make this world a better place. Do not throw your used contacts in the toilet or sink. This is the worst place you can dispose of contact lenses, as their small size allows them to get through filters and back into the environment where they can be a hazard for animals, especially bottom feeders, which can eat them. Luckily, a few progressive companies have addressed this risk and you no longer have to even put them in the trash.

You can now recycle these lenses along with their packaging to make the world a better place. All you need to do is gather your used contacts and packaging. You can then ship them to TerraCycle for free or simply make a drop at Midtown Optometry. We are a designated drop-off center and can make sure the lenses are recycled correctly. While the cardboard packaging can be recycled directly through the municipal pick up, the plastic packaging, and foil cover need to be recycled specially as they are too small for the sorting machines in most municipalities including Santa Cruz. Any brand or style of contact lens and packaging is accepted and appreciated.

Do you use the daily disposable contacts? Contact lenses have evolved since we started using them. There are many types of contacts lenses that you can wear to correct your vision from lenses that correct astigmatism to multi-focal lenses. However, today we are going to focus on the daily disposable contacts. These lenses are very comfortable to wear, and they are available for almost all prescription types. While daily disposable contacts are certainly more convenient, the big reason to use this modality is the decreased risk of infection. With this type of contact lens wear comes responsibility, however, the responsibility of proper disposal.

Contact lenses can adversely affect your eyes if used incorrectly. If you use reusable contacts, you have to be very careful about how you use, store and clean your lenses. When we wear contacts, our eyes and tears have lipids, calcium, and protein that build upon the contact lenses. Bacteria can also infiltrate your lenses especially if they are used for activities such as pool swimming or surfing. Reusable lenses can quickly become home to infections that can harm your eyes. These allergens are known to cling on the edges of the lenses even after cleaning. The good thing with daily disposable contacts is that you will use new contacts every day. Daily usage ensures that you don’t have to deal with cleaning and worrying about infections building up on your lenses.

Daily disposable contacts are often pocket-friendly.

When considering a switch to dailies, think about all the cleaning solutions you have to buy every month to clean, sterilize, and store reusable contacts. With daily disposable contacts you only need the solution already in the individual contact lens package. When you do the math, for a price of a decent cup of coffee, you can invest in protecting your vision, without having to worry about messing with old contact lenses. Most daily replacement lenses also have great rebates available.

We are really happy that we are able to have the ability to give you a healthy way to wear contact lenses while still keeping the environment in mind. Thank you for being responsible.